1S05.] 



Animals found in Nor/oik. 



411 



in this county. ThfTe birds formerly 

 built in 'he heronry at Claxton and Need. 

 ham ; and they are yet found at Trimley, 

 in Suffolk. They are migratory, and ar- 

 rive in March. The fo* lei s fiioot them, 

 not for food, but on account of their An- 

 gular and beaurifui appearance." 



Obf. — Theft birds are at prefent but 

 rare viiltanis in ih'S country. Mr. Pen- 

 pant has plsctd them in the Appendix to 

 his Bi'itifh Zool gy, from the circiina- 

 ftance if a fingle flock of thrm having mi- 

 grated into themaifiies near Yarmouth in 

 Apri; 1774.. A fingle fpoonbili was (hot 

 about ten year* ago on the Hampiliire 

 coaft. 



THE CRANE. 



" Cranes are often feen here in hard 

 winters, e pecially about the champain 

 ami open parts of the country. It feems 

 that they were formerly more plentiful, 

 for in a bill of fare of an entertainnifnt 

 given by the Mayor of N.nwich to the 

 Duke of Norfolk, there are fix cranes men* 

 tio;ied as forming one difti." 



Oi'f. — The weight of a crane b-.ing in 

 general fjmewhat more than ten pounds, 

 The difli mufl have been a tolerably large 

 one. This bird is nr-vt become 'o very 

 Uncommon in this country, that at prefc't 

 it can fcarccly be confideied as an E;;gli(h 

 Specie s. 



THE WHITE STORK. 



Sir Thomas Browne informs us that he 

 has feen thefe birds in the fens of Norfolk, 

 and that fomehad been (hot in the rnarCies 

 bttwixt Norwich and Yarmouth. He 

 once faw a pair in a mai(h about eight 

 miles below Norwich, and afterwards an- 

 other which was ftiot, and the (kin of which 

 he had ftiiffed. 



ObJ. — This it at prclent (o extremely 

 rare a bird in England (though common 

 enoughin moftparts of Holland), thatMr. 

 Pennanthasaltogeiher omitted it in hisBri- 

 ti(h Zjoltigy. It vvas however entitled to 

 a place in that wtrk as well as the fpoon- 

 bill and the crane, fcr Wallis informs us 

 that a linglc Itork was killed in Northum- 

 berland in the year 1766. 



THE IlhRON. 



" The great number of rivers, ftreamt, 

 &c., make herons to abound in Norfidk. 

 The young birds are e(i^eemed a fcftival- 

 difli, and are much (ought after by feme 

 palates." 



THE BITTERN. 



" The holaurus, or bitour, is alfo com- 

 nion, and it it efteenied a ftill better difli. 

 I (oiind a frog in the belly of one of thcfe 

 biidieven in a hardfro(t, at Chriltmas.— 

 1 kept a hitour In my garden for two years, 



feeding it with fi/h, mice, and frogs, or in 

 dtfeft of fnch food, with fparrows and 

 other fmali birds." 



THE GODWIT. 



" The yarwhelp, (b named from it« 

 note, is e(^eemed a da'nty difh, and, for 

 its fize, fells at a very high price. It is 

 taken chitfly inMarfli-land, though other 

 parts are not without it." 



Obf. — The writer of this account ha» 

 mentioned the yarwhelp and godwit as 

 being two different birds, a miltake that 

 has doubtlcfs arifen fr<!m its chiefly fre. 

 quenting the m^rlhes and fens during the 

 fummer, and fait maril-.ps and the fea. 

 fhores throughout the winter. 



THE RtnSHANiC. 



" The erj'tbrcpus, or r^dfiiank, is a 

 common bird in the marlhes. Ic is fre- 

 quently e.Tten, but is in no great efteem 

 for the taiile." 



" The Curlew is frequent about the 

 fea colli." 



THE KNOT. 



*• Gnats, or knots, are fm^ll birds that 

 are caught with nets. When fed with 

 corn they become exceffively (at j and if 

 there is a lighted cantile in the room they 

 will feed boih in the day and nigh'.— 

 When ihty have attained their grtatelt fat- 

 ncfs they begin to grow lean, and they 

 ought then to be killed as foon as pofTible* 

 otherwife they will decline very confide- 

 rably." 



" The Lapwing, or vanellus, is com- 

 mon on all the heaths." 



THE RUFF. 



" jinas pugnax, or lufF. This Is a 

 marfh-bird that varies very greatly in its 

 colours, no two ifidivlduals being found 

 al ke in this refpeft. The female, which 

 his no rviff about the neck, and is called a 

 keeve, is fmaller than the m'lle, and is very 

 fcldom to be feen. The birds are almoft 

 all cocks, and when put together they 

 fight and deltroy e^ch other. They pie- 

 pare theinfejves to'fight in the fame man- 

 ner as game-cocks, though they feem to 

 have no weapon of offence except their 

 bill. They lofe their ruffs towards the 

 end of autumn or the beginniag of winter, 

 as I have obfervcd, by fceeping them in a 

 garden from May till the enfuing fpring. 

 I have feen thefe birds in confiderabe 

 numbers in the marflies bciwixt Norwich 

 and Yarmouth." 



THE DOTTEREL. 



•' The 7norineUus , or dotterel, is found- 

 about Thettord, and in the open country. 

 It comes in September and March, but 

 does not (lay long. It is confidcrcd as 

 excelUnt eating," 



3 F a THE 



